TUE AM News: Bill would guarantee legal counsel for renters facing eviction; Outdoor recreation has $12B state impact in 2024

March 10, 2026

— Residential tenants facing eviction in Wisconsin would be guaranteed legal counsel under legislation being circulated for co-sponsorship.

A group of Dem lawmakers led by Sen. Kelda Roys of Madison and Rep. Ryan Clancy of Milwaukee recently sent a memo seeking support for LRB-1214. They note a single missed housing payment can mean “the difference between housing security and homelessness,” emphasizing the harm eviction can have on low-income residents.

Using data from Milwaukee County, they also argue evictions disproportionately impact minority groups, as Black women make up the majority of eviction filings there while less than a third of the county’s population is Black.

“Seeking legal representation can be necessary to ensure that established tenants rights are being upheld– however, these services are inaccessible to many Wisconsin residents due to the existent financial barrier of legal counsel,” authors wrote.

The legislation would establish a right to the appointment of counsel at state expense for residential tenants facing eviction, according to analysis from the Legislative Reference Bureau. Legal representation would be prioritized for people in counties with higher rates of evictions and for those who are “disproportionately at risk” of being evicted.

The proposal would also create an Office of Civil Legal Aid and a Civil Legal Aid Board and set requirements for the appointees of the board, such as not renting out residential property. The director of the proposed office would be authorized to negotiate contracts with local public defender groups and right-to-counsel programs.

An attorney appointed by the director would be paid $100 per hour for work on eviction cases under the bill, though that amount would rise annually based on the increase in the consumer price index. The director could appoint counsel “only if sufficient funds are available,” LRB notes.

Still, the new board would also be required to enter agreements with the State Bar of Wisconsin, local bar associations, law firms and others to encourage legal representation without compensation as a service to the state.

The co-sponsorship deadline is 5 p.m. Thursday.

See the bill text.

— Outdoor recreation had a $12 billion economic impact in Wisconsin in 2024, setting a new record for the state.

Gov. Tony Evers yesterday announced the figures from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account. He also slammed the Trump administration for “unnecessary delays” in releasing this information. The guv earlier this year sent a letter calling for the data to be released.

With those figures now available, state officials are touting the $12 billion boost to state GDP from outdoor recreation in 2024, marking a 3.8% increase from what was already a record year in 2023.

The industry supported just over 100,000 jobs in 2024, for a 1.6% increase over the year, and paid out $5.7 billion in compensation to employees that year. The total pay figure increased 5.3% over the year.

See the release and see more data here.

— Wisconsin’s childhood vaccination rate had its largest year-over-year decline in five years, falling nearly 2% in 2025.

Health officials yesterday rolled out the latest state vaccination figures, showing 66.9% of 2-year-olds got all doses of the recommended childhood vaccination series last year. That’s a decline of 1.9 percentage points from the prior year’s 68.8%.

While this rate has fallen from the recent peak of 72.9% in 2017, it had been holding relatively steady in recent years, dipping just 0.1 percentage points from 2021-2024. Last year’s larger drop was the biggest decline since 2019-2020, when the childhood vaccination rate fell by 2.2 percentage points to 69.9%.

Following the pattern for the full recommended vaccination series, the rate for the vaccine that protects against the measles virus also had a larger dip last year.

From 2021 to 2024, the 2-year-old vaccination rate for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine had fallen only 0.2 percentage points to 81.4%. But in 2025, that declined by 1.6 percentage points to 79.8%, marking the first time that rate was below 80% in at least a dozen years.

Stephanie Schauer, who manages the Wisconsin Immunization Program, notes measles is highly infectious and requires a high level of immunity within a given community to prevent the disease spreading when introduced.

“It’s upward of 95%,” Schauer said yesterday during an online briefing. “Eighty percent is a pretty low bar, and it still is not quite where we need to be. It is something that we are concerned with as we continue to see that drop.”

The increase comes as health officials have identified at least two separate confirmed cases of measles in state residents this year, along with a pair of people traveling back to the state after being exposed to the virus. Last year’s outbreak in Oconto County resulted in 36 cases, all among unvaccinated people.

When asked about what may be driving vaccination declines, Schauer today pointed to accessibility challenges around vaccines, as well as “misinformation and disinformation” driving people to question or delay vaccinations.

See the release and see more in a recent story from the Friday Report.

For more of the most relevant health care news, reports on groundbreaking research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics and WisBusiness.com.

Sign up here.

— Dem gubernatorial candidate Mandela Barnes has pledged to only appoint members to the PSC who would freeze utility rates.

He also vowed to seek a change in state law to cap the salaries of utility executives as part of a plan he released today to reduce costs for consumers.

“Utility companies have rigged the system to boost their profits and pay for the massive salaries of wealthy executives while Wisconsinites have had to cut back on essentials like food and prescriptions to keep the heat on,” Barnes said yesterday.

Utility rates have become a national issue, and WisPolitics reported late last year that Gov. Tony Evers’ appointments to the PSC approved $2.2 billion in rate increases after becoming a majority of the commission.

State law requires the PSC to approve rates that allow utilities to cover reasonable costs and give them the opportunity to turn a profit. Barnes’ campaign cited utility profits and executive pay in arguing that they can “make money without hammering ratepayers with another massive price hike.” The campaign didn’t otherwise address how his pledge would fit with existing law.

Barnes’ plan also includes a vow to pass legislation banning utilities from using ratepayer money for lobbying and political expenses.

The plan also includes:

Banning utilities from requiring ratepayers to cover debts of shuttered power plants; by year’s end, Wisconsinites will own more than $1 billion in “stranded assets,” facilities that have been closed, but still have remaining debt.
Building more renewable energy.
Passing tax cuts to help property owners with energy efficiency projects.
Eliminating reconnection fees for low-income households.

Anika Rickard, a spokesperson for the state GOP, knocked Barnes’ plan, saying prices increased dramatically during the tenure of the former lieutenant governor and Evers.

“Barnes’ fingerprints are all over the current price increases we’re seeing,” she said. “Freezing prices doesn’t solve the slew of problems he created as Lieutenant Governor.”

If he wins this fall, Barnes would have the opportunity to quickly follow through on his pledge to only appoint commissioners who will freeze rates shortly after being sworn in.

Chair Summer Strand is the only one of the three commissioners who has been confirmed by the GOP-controlled state Senate with a term that ends in March 2029.

Evers also appointed the other two members, who haven’t been confirmed by the state Senate. Marcus Hawkins was appointed to a term through March 2027 and Kristy Nieto to one through March 2031. But absent Senate confirmation, the next governor could replace them upon taking office.

— Apogee Wausau Group is paying $250,000 in a settlement related to alleged violations of state air pollution laws and its own pollution control permits, the state Department of Justice announced.

The company, which does business under the name Linetec, has manufacturing facilities in Wausau.

Under the civil environmental enforcement action brought against the business, the state alleged it broke “numerous” state environmental laws including exceeding particulate matter emission limits and failing to properly operate an air pollution control device. The company also allegedly failed to do required emission testing, show compliance with pollution limits and keep proper records.

“Wisconsinites should be able to breathe clean air that’s free from unlawful pollution,” Attorney Genleral Josh Kaul said in a statement on the settlement.

See the release.

Wisconsin lawmakers debate crypto ‘staking’ as bankers warn of fraud, consumer risks

Wisconsin gas prices up 40 cents in a week as Iran conflict continues

TOPICS

AGRIBUSINESS

– Wisconsin pork producers get PRRS and PEDv testing relief

CONSTRUCTION

– Developer of $126M Deer District housing project racing to break ground

– Next phase of apartments at large Saukville project advancing

ECONOMY

– Data shows outdoor recreation boosts Wisconsin’s economy by record $12B

EDUCATION